


On Draco Malfoy

by Saladita12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Character Analysis, Character Study, Gen, Harry Potter Thinks Draco Malfoy is Up to Something, Lucius Malfoy's A+ Parenting, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, War, character essay, not fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saladita12/pseuds/Saladita12
Summary: This essay focuses on the character, Draco Malfoy, by J. K. Rowling’s famous Harry Potter series, and his development from a schoolyard bully to a victim of war.Unlike the series, this character analysis will try to look at things from a less Harry-centric view. In this essay, I do not seek to excuse or justify the bullying and crimes committed by the character but do try to find a reason for them and understand them.My goal is to demonstrate how and why Draco is a dynamic character that is too often misunderstood.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	On Draco Malfoy

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I want to warn everyone that I take character analysis and Draco Malfoy super seriously. With that out of the way, I’ll attempt to collect my thoughts in as concise a post as I can manage (which is to say, probably not very concise at all).

**Introduction**

First and foremost, I find it pertinent to mention that I wholeheartedly consider Draco Malfoy to be a dynamic character. A dynamic character is one who changes throughout the course of a story. For Draco —quite obviously— this change didn’t turn into an impulse decision, and it certainly wasn’t something that changed the entire course of his character. Time and time again, I find people in my day-to-day life who consider Draco one of the main villains of the entire franchise or someone “evil”; if not him alone, then —at the very least— the entire Malfoy family. And while I agree that Draco is definitely a foil to Harry Potter, I wouldn’t consider him a “villain”. To me, a villain is Lord Voldemort. A villain is Umbridge. Draco, though, gives off the vibe of an anti-hero. To help understand what I mean, I’d like to address the shift in Draco Malfoy’s character throughout the series.

But first, let’s establish who the subject is.

**Draco Malfoy. Who is he and where does he come from?**

Draco Malfoy was born to Narcissa (née Black) and Lucius Malfoy, both of pureblood lineages. Lucius came from an aristocratic family and believed strongly in the importance of blood purity. Narcissa was a descendant of the Black family, who were infamous for their staunch pureblood beliefs, and therefore she grew up prejudiced against those of any lower blood status. As the son of two individuals that were themselves raised to believe that pureblooded wizards were superior to all other wizards, it is not shocking that these beliefs were passed on to their one and only child. 

Draco, much like his parents, did not choose which family to be born to. He did not choose the beliefs his parents would then attempt to instill in him throughout his childhood. Draco is very much a victim of circumstance, a product of his environment. He was born into a family of prejudice and his beliefs, therefore, reflected his parents’. He could have very well been born into a family of non-prejudiced wizards, which would have made him more accepting of different bloodlines, much like the Weasleys. But he was not, so from the beginning of his story, he is put at a moral disadvantage.

Of course, being born into a family with an unyielding set of beliefs does not doom anyone to a life where the mistakes of one’s parents are a permanent and withstanding part of the person’s life, nor should it dictate an absolute on one's moral compass. However, it normally takes a pivotal event to change someone’s beliefs. Furthermore, Lucius craves wealth, status, and power. He is a demanding father and expects nothing less than excellence from his son. We see him scolding Draco for being second best to Hermione in grades. And I am sure that Hermione being Muggle-born only added to the insult in Lucius’ eyes.

In Tales of Beedle the Bard, the notes reveal Lucius Malfoy strove to get that very book, which contains Muggle-friendly teachings, banned from the Hogwarts curriculum. This fact allows the reader an insight into how tight a rein Lucius exerted on what Draco was exposed to during his first eleven years of life. It doesn’t justify or excuse the character, but it does, however, give an idea of how Draco’s personality and morals were strictly influenced and moulded – showing why he chooses to ally and associate with those of a desirable standing (in his opinion), who are subservient to his wishes, or who possess suitable beliefs.

He was indoctrinated into believing whatever his father told him to believe.

Draco holds a distinction: he is the first notable character to attempt to befriend Harry while being unaware of the fact that he was THE Harry Potter. In fact, Draco tries to make small talk with Harry, while the latter is wearing scruffy hand-me-down Muggle clothes and a very obvious patch-up job on his broken glasses. Draco does not appear to snub Harry from the initial outset for the sake of appearances, as one would imagine. Yet Draco’s conduct and manner of address –notably in regards to his parents and how he intends to get his own way– remind Harry strongly of his cousin. These memories of Dudley, complete with a conglomerate of negative feelings associated with him, mean that Harry may be projecting onto an unfamiliar person.

It provides wriggle room for a misunderstanding early on.

Due to feeling increasingly stupid about his lack of knowledge concerning the Wizarding World, Harry becomes uncomfortable at Draco’s enthusiastic talk of Quidditch and Hogwarts’ Houses. But then, even Hagrid (who, unlike Draco, knew how much in the dark the Dursley’s had condemned Harry to be) exclaimed later:

> “Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin’ how little yeh know — not knowin’ about Quidditch!”

Later we see further that students place Hogwarts Houses – as well as the much-beloved Wizarding sport, Quidditch – at the forefront of their minds, so Draco’s choice of a conversational subject was seemingly friendly and no different than that of other future students, or indeed adults.

The downward spiral continues as Draco talks disdainfully of Hagrid. Understandably, and compassionately, Harry is defensive of his first wizarding friend – the first person to show him kindness, generosity and acceptance, even. This trait of Draco’s –to belittle and taunt those he believes to be his inferiors– is exhibited in various topics throughout the first year: topics concerning family, social status, intellect and skill, wealth and provisions. 

This we know to be because Draco Malfoy grew up with the mentality that he was triply special: firstly as a wizard, secondly as a pure-blood, and thirdly as a member of the Malfoy family. As a child of 11, you do not do much more than parrot away what you’ve been taught (simple law of Nature vs Nurture). So it was expected of him to mimic his parent’s ways of charming other wizarding folks, even if it was wholly wrong as he is mimicking how his parents (or at least Lucius) establish relationships with others. In his 11-year-old mind, this is how his parents make acquaintances.

When Harry replies shortly to Draco’s enquiry about his parents, and Draco responds “Oh sorry” (a fairly standard, civil way to reply to a complete stranger), Harry seems to take unnecessary offense, thinking Draco doesn’t sound sorry at all. However, the notion is swiftly dispelled when Draco adds, “But they were our kind, weren’t they?” as if to imply non-magical folk are of scant enough worth to mourn their loss.

Perhaps Draco could have enquired as to what happened, or where and with whom does Harry now live. However, in some circles, this would probably be considered extremely intrusive questions to ask a stranger –particularly if the stranger turned abrupt, which would be a warning sign not to delve further into private matters. Re-enforcing this, we as readers later observe Molly Weasley on Platform 9 3/4 scolding her children for their insensitivity –first Ginny, for wanting to go look at Harry as if he was a specimen in a zoo; secondly, Fred and George for proposing to ask Harry questions about the fateful circumstances under which he lost his parents.

Draco goes on to express an intolerant view of Muggleborns. Introduced here is another of Draco’s traits: being a constant mouthpiece for his parent’s views, particularly parroting and using the name of his father, Lucius Malfoy, and his weighty lineage.

The set up for Draco alienating and developing a rivalry with Harry is repeated when Draco insults Ron, even when Ron was the first to make fun of him since he laughed at his name. This could very well be excused as children being children, however, if we know something about Draco is that he holds Family high above almost everything. So, to him, a kid (not to mention a WEASLEY) laughing at his name (a name based on a Family Tradition, no less) is one of the greatest insults he could be on the other end of. So, of course, he retaliated by making fun of Ron’s family. Draco then offers his assistance in guiding Harry through the Wizarding World social ladder (albeit in a mean-spirited way). However, his offer is, understandably, refused in favour of friendship with Ron.

Note that Draco has no apparent reason to seek an enmity with Harry, even after his offer to form an alliance is rejected. He seemingly decides to hate Harry of his own accord. However, Draco being Draco, it is quite glaringly obvious why he dislikes Harry from then on. Harry was probably the first person Draco tried to befriend on his own, without his parent’s connections; and he was the only one to refuse him. This is a double offence. First, the refusal itself (Draco, I am sure, is not used to being refused, much less by someone his age. Someone who he perceives to be lower than him —Seeing as he’s a Malfoy). Then, of course, is the sting of failing at his first attempted friendship. 

From then on, Draco’s issues with Harry only seem to multiply as we see Harry and the Gryffindors being favoured by most teachers. One clear example is the exception to the rules both McGonagall and Dumbledore made for Harry to play for the Quidditch Team.

**Slytherin**

Before go into more detail as to why Draco Malfoy is not a villainous character, we must first understand the basis of his personality in terms of the house he was sorted into at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In the series, there is a very limited and biased view of the Slytherin House, as we only know the opinions of Harry and his Gryffindor peers. In fact, before ever arriving at Hogwarts, Harry’s opinion of Slytherin had already been made up due to testimonials from Rubeus Hagrid and Ronald Weasley, whose family was known for being predominantly Gryffindor and quite prejudiced towards Slytherins.

It must be stated that the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin houses has been one of legend. Many fans of the series are focused on the famed rivalry of Slytherin and Gryffindor house, to the point where empathy between the two houses is often non-existent. One of the most well-known friendships in wizarding history was that of Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor ( _Order of the Phoenix pg. 204_ ). J.K. Rowling has stated herself that Gryffindor and Slytherin are the most closely related houses of the four ( _[SOURCE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFbOmE2Xi88&feature=player_embedded)_ ).

That being said, the characteristics of a typical Slytherin student are particularly frowned upon as a whole due to the biased opinions of Harry Potter and his friends. As standalone qualities, the characteristics of a Slytherin can be commendable, and even sought after. The Sorting Hat tells us in Order of the Phoenix that Salazar Slytherin was particular in the selection of his students, and that he found certain characteristics above others to be admirable. Of these characteristics, Slytherin found that students who exhibited cunningness, resourcefulness, determination, ambition, and self-preservation to be worthy of his house. 

These traits are far from negative as we are led to believe in the series, and are in fact quite admirable. To be cunning is to show skill in achieving one’s ends. Resourcefulness is the quality of being able to cope with difficult situations. To have determination is to show a firmness of purpose and resolve. Ambition is a strong desire to achieve something. Self-preservation is a basic human instinct to protect oneself from harm or death. The qualities possessed of students in Slytherin, Draco included, do not make for a bad character, but one to be admired.

**Draco Through the Years**

Throughout the story, in a developing and escalating pattern of animosity, Draco slowly evolves from snotty spoiled child further into the “evil” and antagonist role.

From Year 1 to 3, Draco’s pretty much a mean, spoiled child. At this stage, he’s fairly harmless; just little more than a schoolyard bully, really. This, however, I find it to be more of a “ _façade_ ”, him trying to emulate his father and seek the favour of people similarly minded to him, rather than it being his actual character. He’s used to seeing his father bully people into compliance, so of course, he goes about bullying others as well. His spoiled, pretentious attitude exudes a lifestyle of privilege and wealth that plays very prominently into his character. All-in-all, there’s not much to comment on as far as Draco’s first (or first few) years at Hogwarts go. I always felt as though the first book or two was really dedicated to Rowling establishing Draco’s privilege and aristocratic background.

And then his Fourth and Fifth Years come. Here, Draco’s family begins to play a more important role in the series. The fourth book has Draco alluding to his father’s role in the Death Eaters, and the fifth reveals as much (I won’t discuss Lucius much, though; I’m not trying to write a book or anything, after all). For me, personally, what really begins to spark Draco’s character growth is the end of his Fifth Year at Hogwarts; he’s clearly beyond angry that Harry has more or less “outed” his father and effectively has sent him to prison. 

After the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Lucius Malfoy, along with several other Death Eaters, is arrested and sent to Azkaban Prison. Lucius had failed to retrieve the prophecy requested by Lord Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, and he was subsequently punished by his master. Lucius’ punishment was the inclusion of Draco Malfoy into the workings of the Death Eaters, as well as bequeathing Draco with an impossible task. The Dark Lord’s intentions were to watch Draco fail at the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore and to, then, torture and possibly murder the whole family as punishment for their perceived failures.

At the point we see Draco being deceived into thinking that he was, finally, being recognised by his numerous magical achievements. He initially receives the Mark with pride, a symbol of his recognition. He now has a way to help his family go back to power. Draco understood that he could not deny the Dark Lord's wishes; he also knew that completing the murder of Dumbledore would "secure" the safety of his family, as well as monumentally reducing the shame induced by his father’s failure, not to mention finally proving to his peers that he was a worthy and powerful wizard, for one of Draco’s one true concerns was to be worthy of his family and peers. So, without further ado, I bring out the big guns.

This ideology did not last very long and the following summer was, undoubtedly, hell for him.

Year six—or, as I like to call it, the Draco Malfoy Book— arrives.

Half-Blood Prince seems to show the greatest shift Draco’s character has seen thus far within the series. He was always portrayed as a brat with more bark than bite, but there’s a side of Draco witnessed by Harry over the course of this school year that stands out starkly from his younger, more overtly arrogant years. Draco Malfoy becomes more introverted; less inclined to make childish and inane comments whenever he receives a chance; he is visibly more stressed and sickly, appears to isolate himself… In some ways, reading Draco’s huge transformation in this book made me think he was suffering from depression and anxiety. As it was never fully discussed, however, I cannot make any absolute statements; merely pick up on what I noticed myself. It’s in his increasing state of despair; in the way he ignores Quidditch and resigns from his position in the team, the greatest chance he had to one-up Harry (something the old Draco never would have passed on); in the way he seems to fold in on himself. It was in the way he began neglecting his Prefect duties, which was a title he had loved abusing the year before, and how forgetful he became with his schoolwork. Had anyone paid close enough attention, I think most people would have noticed such a stark contrast in Draco’s character. To think that Harry was the only person to visibly take note of the fact that he seemed anxious and weary is astounding, and incredibly sad. 

And then, at the conclusion of the book, when it’s made clear that Draco’s terrified out of his mind about his task and doesn’t have it in him to kill Dumbledore, we see a side of Draco’s humanity that has been shielded and guarded for so many years. He shut down so much of his emotions that only a tragedy like this was able to wake him up. His inability to kill Dumbledore paired with his breakdown with Moaning Myrtle mark two important visualisations of Draco Malfoy’s vulnerability.

It must be here mentioned that Draco was barely seventeen at this time, still a boy, and, in spite of his desire to absolve his family’s mistakes and shame, he still had a very difficult time coming to terms with his task and what it entailed. In fact, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is shown that Draco would visit Moaning Myrtle’s second-floor lavatory to confide in the ghost of his burdens about completing his duties, presumably because he thought he had nobody to rely on. Myrtle describes Draco as someone who is sensitive, lonely, bullied, and hasn’t got anyone he can talk to. Myrtle might be very much biased, but I can’t help but wonder if a little of Draco’s true nature made itself known during his trips to Myrtle’s lavatory. 

Draco was plagued by his mission and truly never desired to kill Dumbledore or to become a murderer at all. His acceptance of his task was inevitable because of his love and loyalty towards his only —known— family. Draco would have done anything to protect them, just as they would have done anything to protect Draco. Just like many other perceivably “good” characters would have done… and did. I find this to be very understandable and, were any of us put in the same situation, we would probably choose the same path Draco did... the path that we believed would save our loved ones. Because no matter how much he might hate Voldemort now, I believe he still was completely sure that the Dark Side would win over Harry Potter. So siding with Dumbledore was not an option to him until he found himself between the sword and the wall. 

It is important to remember that Draco had no reason to believe nor trust in either Harry or Dumbledore, at the time. Dumbledore has never shown any care for the Slytherins, often reinforcing the stereotypes that the House is plagued with and, at times, being neglectful of them —we all remember how he sent them to the Dungeons when the Troll was there. At the very end of The Half-Blood Prince we are informed that he knew about Draco’s mission all along, but never found it important to lend a hand to a boy who was being blackmailed into murder; and even ignored Harry’s warning. This negligence caused not only irreparable damage to Draco’s psyche, but also the incidents in which Ron and Katie Bell were nearly killed. As well as Draco’s own endangerment at the hands of Harry, who had taken it upon himself to stop Draco. Had Dumbledore helped Draco from the very beginning, Draco would not have been cut open, Katie and Ron would’ve never been attacked, Madam Rosmerta wouldn’t have been put under the Imperius curse, and the Death Eaters wouldn’t have entered Hogwarts.

But Dumbledore, as he tended to do, manipulated everyone around him into positions where his plan could be set into motion, at the expense of Snape, Harry, Malfoy and countless others. It is at the Astronomy Tower that Dumbledore dies, and with him, his responsibility.

Fast-forward to the next and final book. During the first half of the Deathly Hallows we see Harry having visions of a terrified Malfoy family. I think it is fair to believe that, at this point, the Malfoy family is being ridiculed, tortured and being held captive within their own home, which has been turned into the Death Eaters’ headquarters. Harry repeatedly has dreams/visions of the Malfoys being tortured and forced to endure the torture of others.

Then, during the Malfoy Manor scene in Deathly Hallows, a disfigured Harry is brought in front of Draco to identify. Draco seemed reluctant to look at Harry and was vague on whether or not he believed the boy in front of him to be Harry, although all signs pointed to Draco recognising who he was. Draco knew that turning in Harry to Lord Voldemort would absolve his family, especially his father, of any past mishaps with the Dark Lord, but he still refused to properly identify him. He could not be guilted by his family into something he didn’t feel was right, even when he had always been a perceivably selfish person. Or maybe he had finally recognised the possibility of Harry actually winning and was aiming for self-preservation. Either way, Draco's lie kept Harry and his troupe alive, if not completely safe.

He then saves Harry's life once in the Room of Requirement, when Crabbe and Goyle are intent on killing the trio. Draco, however, stops Crabbe from killing Harry, allegedly because Voldemort wanted him alive. Whether taking Harry to Voldemort was really Draco's intention, or he was consciously trying to save Harry, we don't know. However, the facts that him stopping his fellow Death Eaters from killing Harry there and then meant something important nonetheless. Harry saves him from the fire and once again in a corridor, later on.

As it is, since the main focus of the seventh book has Draco M.I.A., but there’re three important things I want to say about this book. 

  * **First and foremost** , that he didn’t outwardly identify Harry when the Trio was brought to his Manor…even when it would have been glaringly easy for him to do so, seeing that both Hermione and Ron were with a disfigured Harry, and he knew the trio was inseparable.
  * **Second** , he and his family didn’t run away from the Battle of Hogwarts. They stayed… together. No matter what David Yates had to say on the matter.
  * **Thirdly** , the epilogue features Draco glancing at Harry in a way that is seemingly devoid of hatred and malice; it seems to be a look of understanding. And to me…it implies that, over the years, Draco’s prejudice and elitist ways of the world have changed and softened, proving that the beliefs of his parents were not important to him later on in his life. Maybe they aren’t gone forever; perhaps he still prays his son will marry a respectable Pureblood. But regardless, it’s enough for me to go off on; it’s enough for me to find hope that Draco’s character reached a full circle. And, seeing how much of a good kid Scorpius turned out to be, I stand firm in my beliefs. 



This change in Draco is even further reinforced during The Cursed Child, which shows Draco to be a lonely and terribly unhappy man, whose wish has always been to be happy. A man that wants his son's happiness above all, and this desire to see his son safe and happy prompts him to fight Harry for both Scorpius and Albus; to travel through time to defeat the daughter of the Dark Lord. A man who has clearly matured beyond his parent's teachings through pain and tragedy.

**Conclusion**

Draco Malfoy is a product of his childhood and the war that disrupted his teenage years. Consuming and adopting whatever prejudiced ideals were instilled into him as a child, his ingrained sense of injustice and Pureblood prejudice formed who he was as a child. And it was his experiences with the war and the task that was designed for him to fail that helped shape and mould his character into the more dynamic character I claim him to be.

Do I think that Draco Malfoy is really doing it for the good of the people? No, I don’t. Do I think that he has a heart of gold and started walking around handing out anti-Pureblood fliers after the war? No, definitely not. Do I believe him to be a coward for choosing what he did? No, as I can't say trying to save your loved ones is cowardly.

Do I think that he’s a complex character with a dozen layers whose later character arc is forgotten by those who swear on hating him? Absolutely.

He’s not the hero of any story—not even his own. He was a voiceless character with little to no choices. And I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s so fascinating to me; because, no matter where one looks, he’ll never be a Gryffindor hero. He’ll never have the heart of a lion and the courage to protect anyone aside from himself and his loved ones. He’s not the stuff made of legends, and he’s not the hero you read in bedtime stories to your kids and grandkids. He’s an anti-hero who has a sour set of morals and an irritating personality… but he’s also a character that expands and breathes life into the pages of the stories he’s inserted himself into. And I think that makes for a great character who one can rarely be neutral towards.

Draco is a character of complex decisions and motives. He is a true Slytherin in every sense of the word. He is ambitious and always strives to be better than Harry, as evident in Chamber of Secrets when he joins the Slytherin House Quidditch Team, as well as countless other times when he does all in his power to prove himself as an apt wizard. He is self-preserving, as evident in Half-blood Prince and Deathly Hallows; he will only complete a murderous task as a way to save himself and save his family, as well as relying on the Trio a couple of times to save him during the Battle of Hogwarts, where he is only trying to stay alive, never truly defining his side. Draco was never as fully concerned with the fanatics of the Death Eaters or the apparent opulence of his family name, evident in his seeking of Harry as a friend in the early chapters of Philosopher’s Stone. He even refused to reveal Harry’s identity to Bellatrix Lestrange in Deathly Hallows for fear that he was doing something that might come and bite him in the arse later, even when we do know the Malfoy’s were severely tortured after they lost them. He is unable to torture and kill, for which he is tortured in return by Voldemort.

Draco is not a character to be dismissed as one-dimensional, or a character to be declared vile and unmoving. He is a character that breaths life and exhibits a great character arc throughout the series. He is a character that we dehumanise severely, as we can only see fragments of his personality and those fragments are usually antagonistic in nature through the unreliability of the narrator within the series.

As he grows up throughout the books, his motives and actions reflect the situations that he is thrust into by his family and his last name. He shows the character of a true Slytherin, a character that is at times to be admired, as well as defines himself as someone quite unlike a villain. Draco Malfoy, like Harry Potter and many of the characters of the Harry Potter novels, is a boy of circumstance.

Draco Malfoy is not a nice character. But he’s a wonderful one to watch grow and transform.


End file.
